Army Life – Dear Dad – A Birthday and an Anniversary – November 4, 1944

Saturday

 In Camp.

Nov. 4, 1944

Dear Dad: –

Since I don’t expect I’ll be able to get home for Marian’s birthday, I sent, under separate cover, a small bottle of Marian’s favorite perfume. I would like you to wrap it for me and give it to her on the great day (Nov. 11) or if a celebration is held, on that day.

Nov. 14 will be our 1st anniversary, and again, circumstances still being the same, I’d like you to get her an appropriate token of my appreciation for her. A bouquet of flowers or something – you probably have a good idea for this –, and any expense should be added to the sum already owed you by us. Marian will repay you as fast as possible beginning after her arrival.

She wants to get some sort of work and if you can have a talk with her maybe you might be able to give her some idea of what she should do. I told her to consult you on any problems which may arise so please try to get her to do so if it looks like she may be bashful or retentive.

I guess I didn’t tell you, and she may be there now, but she left here Friday morning with the Buick and trailer. She should be in Trumbull sometime before late Monday night. Her route followed US 11 to west of Washington DC where she turned east on US 211 and then from Washington DC to New York – US 1. From G. Washington Br. to Henry Hudson; Cross County; Hutchinson River, and Merritt Parkway. I hope she arrives with no difficulties.

I’m going to write her a letter which will give you all the news.

My regards to everyone.

Love,

Laddie

*****************************************************

In using the cable address just put my name and the code address. That’s all. As you have probably realized, I’m writing to Marian only and relying on her to keep you all at home, posted. I hope she is doing a good job. I also hope she is not in the way there or is not unhappier then she need be. I’ve not gotten any letters yet due to moving too fast. Laddie

Tomorrow, more Memories of Arla Mary (Peabody) Guion. Next week I will be posting letters written in 1939, when both Lad and Dan are away from home and working in Venezuela.

Judy Guion

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Army Life – A Telegram and Letter From Lad and Marian – November 1, 1944

 

A D GUION

FONE BPT4-2928 DANIELS FARM ROAD, TRUMBULL, CONN=

HOLD CHECK FOR MARIAN CAN YOU WIRE $35.00 IMMEDIATELY TO MARIAN I GUION 303 LONGINO JACKSON MISS FOR TRIP TO TRUMBULL DEPARTURE THIRD=

LAD MARIAN

 

Wednesday

Jackson   11/1

Dear Dad,

What a peach you are to send the $35.00 so speedily, without any question. We thought that we could wait here until our first government check arrived but Uncle Sam began rushing things too much. Today (Nov. 1st) is the dead-line as far as Uncle Sam is concerned. All the wives are supposed to have gone home, and no more private cars on the Post. But Lad took the car today, anyway. He’s going to park it outside the gate, so that I can pick it up if he gets restricted. He called me this noon to say that he thought he would be able to get out tonight.

Just to be on the safe side however, we packed the trailer last night, so that it will only take me a few minutes to put the last minute things into the car and be on my way home.

Incidentally, Dad, I’m really looking forward to living there at Trumbull. It seems to me to be the best place of all, other than actually being with Lad, and think of the extra nice company I’ll have. Your comments and P.S.’s in your recent letters have made me feel that I’m really coming home, so that this doggone separation has one bright side, anyway.

I’m leaving here tomorrow or Friday, at the very latest. When Lad comes home tonight, he’ll know a little more about their coming restriction, I think, so that he’ll have an idea whether or not he will be able to get home tomorrow night. If he can, I’ll stay until Friday, but I’m pretty certain I’ll leave then. So if everything goes according to schedule, I should be home sometime Sunday, probably late in the evening.

Dad: –

Marian has told you just about everything it is possible to tell, so far. I don’t know anything further about tomorrow night than I knew last night. It is quite disconcerting to say the least to have to make plans when everything is so unsettled, but I can’t get anything definite concerning just what we are going to do. That, I guess, will have to wait until it happens.

Marian is a wonderful girl, Dad, so please take care of her for me. My happiness, and practically my life, is wrapped up in her. I know you will, tho’, even without my asking. Incidentally, her birthday (29th) is Nov. 11.

I get up at 0400 and packing the trailer last night kept me up until almost 2300 last night, so I’m so sleepy I can hardly keep my eyes open, so I’m “gonna quit” here, and as they say in Mississippi – hurry back and see us.

Lad

From the looks of things it might be later than Sunday before I arrive. Lad wants me to stay as long as possible – and I want to, too. However, it would make it easier for him, I think, if he knew that I had arrived home safely, so I just don’t know. The best I can do, I guess, is to say, “Look for me when you see me.” It won’t be very long before I’m there – Love from Marian and Lad

Tomorrow I’ll post a letter from Lad, letting Grandpa know a little more. 

On Saturday and Sunday, more Memories of Arla Mary (Peabody) Guion .

Next week, I’ll be posting letters written in 1939. Lad has been in Venezuela for over month and Dan has been there for about three months. Grandpa holds down the fort in Trumbull.

Judy Guion

 

 

Trumbull – Dear Baby Snooks (3) – More News From Dave and a Letter From Marian – October 29, 1944

His second letter, however, has a bit of right interesting news that puts him right up in your class. He writes: “I made it. They call me Corporal now. I took a test the day before yesterday. It wasn’t very hard but I had my doubts as to whether I had passed. But today the lieutenant told us all we had passed. Of course, I’ve already got my stripes on. You can tell my brothers that I’m on my way up the ladder and that I’ll keep plugging till I catch up to them and in time I’ll pass them all – – oh yeah? There’s still nothing definite as to when we will pull out of Crowder, but rumors are plentiful. I’ll let you know when – – – –“.

Congratulations, young son. Better tell the man to throw in a strap with that wrist watch you were going to get for your birthday gift from the Pater. By the way I have not received a bill yet for the purchase nor even notification of the amount. Better let me know pronto so I can send you a check before you leave Crowder. Where do you want your Christmas box sent and what do you want in it? (Flora papers please copy)

 

             Marian (Irwin) Guion (Mrs. Lad)

And speaking of Flora, Marian the dependable has again chalked up another run to her score. In a letter written on the 26th she says: “The Battalion has been issued new clothes and they have been given until Nov. 1 to dispose of their cars, but it seems to me we went through this routine once before at Pomona and look how long it took us to get out of there! Nevertheless we are arranging and packing as much as possible so that I can leave here at a moment’s notice. We haven’t the slightest idea which P.O.E. the fellows will be sent to, but in case it is New York or its vicinity, I’d like to be around there as quickly as I can get there in case Lad has a chance to get away for even a few hours.”

Your check instructions have been noted, Marian, and will be duly observed. Meanwhile if you find yourself in need of funds, you know what to do.

       Jean (Mortensen) Guion (Mrs. Richard) 

Between Jean not hearing from Dick when expected and I anxiously awaiting a letter from Dan, we both of us weep on the other fellow’s shoulder. However she did get a couple of letters from Brazil this week which leaves me still “expecting”.

Aunt Betty (Lizzie) Duryee

Aunt Betty was “made a voter” the other day which means another vote for Dewey, and Baldwin. Zeke and Elizabeth however are voting for Mc Levy for Gov. I don’t think Jean has qualified yet so at least she won’t vote for Roosevelt. You all know where I stand. Well, it won’t be long now. Here’s hoping – – I’ve been doing that for twelve years.

While final reports on the destruction of the Jap fleet are not in, it certainly looks good in the Philippine sector. Now if Dan will hurry up with those invasion maps so General Ike can get his final push started maybe it won’t be too bad if Lad and Dave do have to go across the big drink.

In spite of rock and tempest’s roar,

In spite of false lights on the shore

Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea

Our hearts, our hopes are all with thee

Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears,

Are all with thee, are all with thee.

Dad.

Tomorrow, and Friday, news from Lad and Marian. 

Judy Guion

Trumbull – Dear Baby Snooks (2) – Let’s Get Serious – October 29, 1944

This is the walk Grandpa had to make from the back porch (left) to the barn

Page 2   10/29/44

 

So much for the froth. Now let’s get serious. It occurred to me the other day that for each of you absent boys I have some daily reminder that pleasantly brings you to mind. The days of late have been getting right chilly, so saying goodbye to Aunt Betty, gathering my lunch under my arm, I hasten out to the barn and slide under the Buick wheel. It feels cold to the touch but not for long because soon the heater which Ced not only “gifted” me but installed as well, begins purring and my hymn of Thanksgiving daily floats with the heat waves up toward Anchorage. And, by the way, Ced, the regular arrival of the Alaska Sportsman is enjoyed by all. I noticed in the last issue a mimeograph ad giving the name and address of a concern in Anchorage that does mimeographing. It would be interesting if you got a schedule of prices from them and sent it to me.

But to get back to my Daily Reminders. Quite soon after I hop out of bed I think of Lad and his thoughtfulness in giving me the Remington Rand electric razor. Then after shaving and dressing I make my bed. Do you remember Dan, that two toned woolly brown sweater you once had? Well, the blanket you had in Alaska, which Ced brought back with him and which I use on my bed, is the same two toned Brown and I always think of you as I put this blanket in place. At the office, time and time again during the day as jobs have to be turned out I am reminded of how much I miss Dave, and lastly at night when I come home I usually enjoy a smoke after dinner, and as I reach for a cigar, and see the Brazilian cigar box Dick sent I am of course reminded of my Portuguese son – – yes, there are still three cigars left. I counted them today. And speaking of office work, Dave, Mac says he has someone who has agreed to take over the task of sending out News to Youse again. He says the principal reason it was discontinued was because you went away and he found there was no one who could quite fill your place. Others dillydallied with the idea but you were the only one that went right ahead and did something about it – – few words and plenty of action.

 

In these pictures, you can’t even see all the windows,

so you can imagine what a job it is in the spring and fall to replace storm windows or screens.

This week has been the busiest I have put in at the office for a long time. A total of some 34,000 letters had to be produced for Governor Baldwin to go to new voters (see sample enclosed) (This letter has been lost sometime over the years) . Of course I worked until late yesterday and so did not have my regular Saturday afternoon at home to try to catch up on the storm window situation. I did get in a few hours this morning and this afternoon, but compared to the amount still to be accomplished the net result was pitifully small.

Carl came home yesterday, having just conveyed a bunch of German prisoners over from France. He says they were either boys or old man, some even 60 and a few badly wounded and all tired of the war and glad to get to America. Carl had to go back again for another assignment yesterday.

Two letters from Dave this week! In the first he says his team consists of 40 men. “I truthfully can’t think of a better bunch of guys to go across with. There are rumors that we will have two more weekends at Crowder. I want you to know that my morale at present is higher than it’s been at any time since I was at home last June. I’m really pepped up over the situation. On my 3-day pass after I left Fort Smith I went to Fayetteville as planned, but, I ran into a little Arkansas lass and that was not planned. Last week I went down to see her again – – she’s really pretty nice and makes good company. Nothing serious in all this, of course, but it gives me something to do with my off time.”

Tomorrow, the conclusion to this letter and on Thursday and Friday, a telegram, a V-mail note, a letter from Marian and Lad and another from Lad alone.

Judy Hardy

Army Life – A Telegram, A Quick Note and a Letter – December 26, 1943

 

 

Dated – 1943 DEC 26

A D GUION FONE BPT42928=

DANIELS FARM ROAD (TRUMBULL CONN)=

NEWADDRESS 142ND BN OBAM OUTC TEXARKANA TEXAS MARIAN STILL AT STRATFORD  MORE BS MAIL BEST OF EVERYTHING TO ALL=

                        LAD.==

*****************************************

Dear Dad:- As I cabled, I am here in Texas —Co 3019, 142 O.B.A.M. Bn. O.U.T.C. Red River Ord. Depot, Texarkana, Texas. Marian will stay at 1416 Stratford Ave. until I can find a decent place for her here in this section. Things don’t look too good as yet, but I’m hopeful. This place is no where near as nice as L.A. and Anita, but some of the fellows went to Flora, Mississippi which is even worse. Happy New Year to All, and good luck.     Lad

(Little does he know but he and Marian will also end up in Flora, Miss.)

 

*****************************************

                          Marian (Irwin) Guion

Thursday

12/31/43

Dear Dad –

Your Christmas package arrived today, and even though Lad wasn’t here to open it with me, I had loads of fun opening your gifts. Lad’s I will send on to him, along with a few other things that hadn’t arrived when he left.

I love the cookbook! Couldn’t help but laugh when I opened it – I told Lad that he was going to have to be a guinea pig, even though he wasn’t here, so when I make some cookies or cake to send to him, I’ll have to mail a few to you – and I can always blame the post office department if they arrived sort of hard, or any badly mangled condition!

The perfume and powder is lovely, too, in fact, I started using it right away – Thank you so much, Dad.

Received a rather encouraging letter from Lad today – there are some houses available in Texarkana – not too good, he says, but at least they will furnish a roof over our heads, ‘cause if it is at all possible , I intend to join him as fast as I can. Seems as though he’s been gone for years, and nothing I do seems to be much fun anymore. As long as he is in the United States, I want to be with him.

I’ll have to give up my job here, and because it is the kind of a job it is, I am going to have to tell them right away, even tho’ I have no definite word from Lad as to when I can join him. But it will take at least a month to get everything straightened around at the office, and if the National office in New York doesn’t have someone available right away (which is very probable) I am going to have to get everything lined up so that some local person can take over until the new Executive comes. It’s just not the kind of job that you can give two weeks notice and then leave. So I’m starting now to clear the decks for action. I can stay on here in South Pasadena and work in Pasadena or Los Angeles- I know that I can get some sort of a job – and one that I can leave rather hurriedly, and that doesn’t require any contract signing.

You’ve probably heard from Lad by now- the trip to Texarkana wasn’t too bad – one flat tire on the way – and quite a bit of snow the last 500 miles, but he arrived safely. The weather is very cold but the people there have been swell to him, he says. How can they help it? Say I.

Dad, I wonder if you know what a perfectly wonderful son you have raised? I simply can’t put into words all the wonderful things that he means to me. Truthfully, and very humbly, I say that no girl could ever ask for a nicer husband then Lad is. Somehow it seems hard to believe that I could be so very lucky in finding him – thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for doing such a grand job.

And from what I can gather from your letters and the things you do, I can see where he gets a good part of it. I’m not so good at putting what I feel into words, but, very sincerely, I mean every word of it. I hope it won’t be very long before I can really meet all of you in person. I’m looking forward to it so much.

I’m not usually quite so serious, Dad, So I’ll have to close on a lighter note. Lad comments that the country around Texarkana is “very poor and definitely not likable!” He also says that he retracts any mean statements he ever made about California! Gosh sakes! Quite a few people manage to live in Texas so it can’t be too bad – don’t they say that nights on the desert are beautiful and can’t be beaten? Hope I get a chance to find out for myself!

Has Ced gotten home? I mailing a letter to him there in hopes that he’s there by now.

With loads of love and very best wishes for the new year for all of you-

As ever,

Marian

P.S. Enjoyed your Christmas card so much. –

This is the final letter from 1943. In three weeks, I’ll begin letters from 1944.

Tomorrow and Sunday, more Memories of Arla Mary (Peabody) Guion.

Judy Guion

 

Army Life – Dear Dad – Marian Writes from Jackson – October 26, 1944

Thursday

10/26/44

Dear Dad –

I wish I could arrange to have one day when I write to you and Mother and Dad, but somehow I always manage to hit a different day of the week. I suddenly realized that here it is Wednesday or Thursday, and still no letter written to you. And even tho’ they are often times just one thin page, I do like to write every week.

Altho’ I wonder sometimes just how I can make them interesting, or at least newsy. It seems as tho’ there isn’t much happening in the way of special events, and except for the now familiar “time bomb” feeling that is such an important item in our daily life, everything else goes along very much as usual.

The battalion has been issued new clothes, and they have been given until Nov. 1st to dispose of their cars, but it seems to me we went through this routine once before at Pomona, and look how long it took us to get out of there! Nevertheless, we are rearranging and packing as much as we can, so that I can leave here on a moments notice. We haven’t the slightest idea where P.O.E. the fellows will be sent to, but in case it is New York, or its vicinity, I’d like to be around there as quickly as I can get there, in case Lad has a chance to get away for even a few hours.

Unless we send you a telegram to the contrary, will you forward our check as soon as it arrives, the way you always do? But I think you had better send it to me at 303 Longino, in case the fellows are restricted and I can’t get in touch with Lad. He would have to mail it to me and it would take just that much longer. Our other check goes to California so I’ve asked Mom to mail it to you. Will you please hold it there until you hear from us? For all we know, I might be there by the time it arrives, but we don’t know for sure.

Everything else is pretty much the same. We are having some lovely fall weather, but we need a good hard rain to clear the air and settle the dust. I hope it doesn’t reach the proportions of your last storm, however!

Love to all from

Lad and Marian

The rest of the week will be postings of letters written by Grandpa to all his boys – and Marian – regarding war news, local news and news of the family.

On Saturday Lad’s first letter home from Caracas telling of his first week in Venezuela. The story will continue on Monday with Grandpa’s letters to his sons so far from home. And so begins six and a half years of weekly letters written to whichever sons – and daughter-in-laws who join the family – are away from Trumbull. The letters are filled with news on the home front, news about friends and news from the boys – and girls – when they write home. This was Grandpa’s way of cheering up his boys and keeping everyone connected.

On Sunday, more Special Pictures.

On Monday, I’ll begin a week of letters written in 1939, when Lad and Dan are working in Venezuela.

Judy Guion 

Trumbull – Dear Jack Armstrong, the Aaaaaal American Boy (1) – October 8, 1944

This week I’ll be posting letters written in 1944 with news from Marian (and Lad), Dave and local news and happenings in Trumbull. This is the first of a two-parter, with the conclusion posted tomorrow.

Trumbull, Conn., October 8, 1944

Dear Jack Armstrong, the aaaaaal American Boy:

Of course if you haven’t been listening to the radio lately and followed the adventures of this wonderful youth who accomplishes so much on a diet of Wheaties, you will fail to get the full implication of the compliment being paid to you in being so addressed. Be that as it may, you may rejoice that the blood of pioneers flows in your veins and you may hand down to posterity that your sire at the age of sixty swung a lusty axe, and un-dismayed by hurricanes that back in these days visited the section known as New England, and in spite of blisters, tackled the job single-handed with such vigor that he even hit himself on the forehead with an axe (fortunately it was the broad end) due to swings so mighty that he literally fouled electric light wires (you needn’t mention that they had been brought low by a tree falling on them). However no harm was done either to wire, forehead or axe, save perhaps a little injured dignity. In other words, much of the brush has been cut away from the smaller limbs and what now remains is the sawing of the big trunks which would probably be accomplished much more satisfactorily with the aid of certain soldiers now in the U.S. Army or an Alaskan pilot-mechanic. The next step would then be an S O S for a certain technical expert who already has in his mind the plan for mounting a circular saw to be operated by an auto motor and thus make short work of the ten foot pile of logs and branches that still have to be sawed to length – – thus adding home improvement #3 to #1 Method for flattening tin cans, and #2 Blower for outdoor incinerator. Up to this point however I must confess it is Dan whose services I have missed most, and hearing his cry of T-i-m-b-e-r as another denizen of the forest succumbs to his well-placed strokes, might even be surprised by the stamina, initiative and sustained devotion to the job that Dick and Dave might evince after working a while for Uncle Sam. However, I guess that’s enough of this which might be entitled “much ado about nothing”.

Now will move over into the subject of hometown gossip. Lad’s friend, Myron Whitney is, or was a short while ago, in a Bridgeport Hospital where he was taken for treatment of some bad burns when a steam line burst in the plant where he is working and scalded him. Dan will be interested to know that there is a young man who met Barbara in Italy and seemed enough smitten with her to come to Bridgeport to meet the Plumb family and stayed there several days (perhaps the entire time of his furlough) as I understand his father and mother are both dead. I have not been informed whether the feeling on Barbara’s part is mutual. Carl, I am informed, Ced, is now on a transport. Charlie Hall is somewhere south of the equator in the Pacific area, which is about as much as Jane knows about it. This morning, Dave, Bob Jennings, McClinch and Ed Young, all in sailor outfits, came to call on Catherine.. Bob says he will be in Sampson for about six months, McClinch has sailing orders for the 18th of this month and Young is at Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn. The club has all but passed out. The place is a wreck. It looks like what I imagine a gambling joint looks like after being raided by the police. Broken glass scattered all over the floor, playing cards strewn in every direction, furniture out of place. It is probable that not all this mess is attributable to the members, as I came home one day and found Skip and Susan in there having a most delightful time, throwing things around, down the stairs and in general having a riotous time. It seems that a couple of boards in the little cubbyhole door at the back had been ripped off and the children had gotten in that way and were playing “the wreck of the Hesperus””, the Sacking of Rome, or maybe to be up to date, the bombing of Berlin.

Tomorrow, the conclusion to this letter with thoughts about the war from Grandpa and news from Marian and Dave. For the rest of the week, another letter from Grandpa, a letter from Marian and a long letter from Grandpa on Friday.

Judy Guion